Video transcript
De EMPREENDEDOR a GOVERNADOR de Minas Gerais | Zema conta sua trajetória no Os Sócios
882 statements · 1 politicians · February 3, 2026 · 76 min
Statements by Romeu Zema. 882 transcribed statements, with topic and stance on the ones the analysis classified. Topics: Public Service, Role of the State, State-owned companies, Public Budget.
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Transcript
882 statementsFull transcript of the video. Statements the analysis classified carry topic and stance.
Desconhecido
What led you to migrate from private life, from the private sector, where you had indisputable success by the metric of opening stores, a brand more than 100 years old, to public life, where we know, I as a digital influencer and my wife too, every day people speak ill of us.
Desconhecido
With politicians it's much worse.
Desconhecido
You can do the right thing and still many people will be criticizing you all the time, no matter how good your conduct is.
Desconhecido
Why did you pick that fight?
Bruno, I think there were several factors.
an alignment of the planets.
It wasn't just one.
Let's recap here.
First, I spent 30 years opening stores, I drove more than 2 million kilometers, most of that in Minas Gerais.
Remember that, although the family company is old, this line of business was a new venture that I started.
It practically started from scratch.
Our line was always car dealerships, that still exists, but today the retail business is much bigger than the dealership business.
And I saw that there was growth potential, I started opening stores, I did it according to the profile of Minas Gerais; Minas Gerais has 853 municipalities, the vast majority small.
So we specialized in that type of business.
We don't have stores in shopping malls, we don't have stores in metropolitan regions, we have stores in towns of 10, 20, 30 thousand inhabitants.
And that's not lacking in Minas Gerais.
So I dedicated my whole life to it.
And 2016 came, I said, I want to see this company that I made grow operate without my presence.
I've already seen many companies, you who follow business too, begin to suffer because it's already past time for the founder, the shareholder, to hand over command to a younger generation and he insists on staying.
I think we are able to contribute a lot, but we are mortal.
So I've seen many entrepreneurs only hand the business over when they're going to the cemetery or to the hospital.
And I didn't want that.
So I did my succession in 2016, the company was professionalized, with audited financial statements, everything in order.
And I went to the board of directors.
I wanted a less hectic life.
You understand?
And I had, in the year '17.
My year of '17 was a totally atypical year in my life.
I wasn't even... all day at the company nor dedicating myself to another activity.
I was studying, I had the opportunity to get to know startups abroad, see how they work, to be helping, contributing to the company in another way, not in the day-to-day, meetings, demands, reports, travel, constant movement, and contributing.
And it happened that... At the end of 2017, Partido Novo got in touch with me.
They said, 'Look, we want to run in the election for governor next year and we want you contributing to the party.'
I never liked politics.
I even had an aversion to it.
I used to help make the human resources policy, the procedures, and one of the things I suggested was introduced, which was... Politicians are forbidden from entering the company to campaign, to do anything.
In retail you depend on Seu João, Dona Maria, Joãozinho to be able to sell.
You don't depend on politicians.
And I always looked at politics in Brazil very unfavorably.
So my natural reaction was to say no.
Do you agree?
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